I've only had one rifle failure in my nine safaris to Africa and like Mrlexma, mine occurred in Namibia back in 1999. It was in my old Winchester 70 .375H&H and was entirely my fault as I had handloaded my ammo pretty hot. All the press I read was that any of the .300's were suitable but with one safari under my belt and being an expert, I decided the .375 would do it all, especially if I packed those long cases full of W760! Well, those of you who handload proably know how this story ends! Day three, a mid-day stalk on gemsbok across open dunes in the heat. Heat = high pressure = blown primer pocket = jammed rifle = embarassing miss on nice gemsbok bull! My partner on that hunt was understanding and we shared his .338 for the next seven days and we shot all the game we wanted...however, I learned a very valuable set of lessons:

1. One or seven trips to Africa doesn't make you an expert, listen to the recommendation of your PH on caliber and shot distances.

2. Always bring a back-up rifle capable of any job you need it to perform on the hunt.

3. If you handload, keep loads below maximum, the African sun and heat can spike pressures and play havoc with your loads.

4. The .375 H&H is a GREAT cartridge but see #1.